New Delhi, Aug 14: Fiat India today said it would pay the import duty of Rs 1.13 crore that was waived for the Ferrari car gifted to Sachin Tendulkar following a controversy over the waiver. "We have volunteered to pay for the import duty of the Ferrari Modena car... We feel it is the right thing to do considering the recent developments," a Fiat India spokesman told a news agency over phone from Mumbai. "The gift was meant to felicitate and honour our brand ambassador for his achievement. We believe that this gesture on our part of paying the import duty is in keeping with the spirit in which the gift was given," he said.

Tendulkar, who has been the brand ambassador of fiat since September 2001, was gifted the Ferrari car for equalising late Sir Donald Bradman's record of scoring 29 test centuries.

The Delhi High Court had yesterday issued notices to Tendulkar and the union government asking them to show cause why the import duty was waived for the Ferrari car he got as a gift, describing it as a "profligacy" at a time when the sports ministry was refusing to increase the number of Arjuna Awards due to lack of funds. Taking suo motu cognizance of various newspaper reports on the duty waiver, Justice Vikramjit Sen also issued notices to the union ministries of finance and sports while fixing the matter for further hearing on August 19.
Bureau Report